Groeninghe

The three-star Hotel Groeninghe is a classic family-run charmer. Tucked into quiet Vulderstraat near St. Salvator’s church, the hotel boasts a convenient (though calm) location with boutique style.

Rooms, for the most part, are adequately sized and are outfitted in smart wallpaper, carpet, fabrics and historical prints. We saw lots of earth tones and pleasing purples. All rooms but one have flat-paneled TVs and rooms to the back boast large windows with views over the hotel’s garden and neighboring buildings. Baths sport fresh tiling, and most showers have a place to sit. All rooms are non-smoking.

Downstairs, the Groeninghe's lounge is stylish in a "leather sofa and fireplace" kind of way. The adjacent breakfast room faces the garden.

The Groeninghe was constructed in 1856 as a well-to-do residence and housed a private chapel (today you can still find a Madonna in the hallway). It has served as a hotel since 1977, and present owners Johan and Laurence Verwilst have run it since 2003.

We spent four very comfortable nights in a single room on the top floor, in a former attic space. Very tall guests might object to the slanted ceiling and others might not like the hike to the fourth floor, but we found our room—featuring a skylight view over western Bruges—quite homey.